Vimbai E.M.Z. Mushongera
Parliament Affairs and Advocacy Officer
vimbai.zinyama@zctu.co.zw
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal
Economy Workers
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From dirigisme to Washington consensus
 Beyond ESAP – Programme to Democratise ZIM Celebrate the means and not the ends
 1996 Resolved to organise informal economy
workers Research and Establishing structures
 1997 Hosted working people’s convention – NCA,
CRISIS COALITION, ZIMRIGHTS
 2001 Established informal economy desk
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ZCIEA
LEDRIZ
Legal Department
Parliament and Advocacy program
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 ZCTU
currently has 362 000
 ZCIEA Membership 873 000
 Potential Voters in the Country 3Million
/14m
ZCTU
Numbers are
Essential for influencing
policy
NGOs
ZCIEA
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
CHURCHES
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House of Assembly
Upper House
Cabinet Ministers
Parliament Information Centres
Polling stations
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
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• 210 Mps
• 19 Committees
• 36 MPs from Labour Structure
• 93
• 7 Committees
• 5 Senators
•71 Ministers
• 124/210 Parliament
Information centres
650 Polling Station
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Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
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 Dollarisation
left more than 70% of
population unbanked
 90% Informal economy activities
 Real wages back to 1973  Employers not paying salaries and pension
houses not honoring obligations
 Social safety nets still a major challenge
 Labour Market- Labour relations still akin to
colonial times –Chinese , Indigenous
employers, 75 000 ghost workers
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
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Elections on the horizon
 Dead GNU – SADC still playing some
accommodation politics
 Deflective and Negotiated constitution
 Petrified electorate - Violence
 Undermining of Organised labour – ZCTU
 Uniformed forces that are partisan
 Populist Policies
 Newly discovered resources (Diamonds ) our
demise
 Selective application of the law
 Wikleaks – ZANUPF demise and MDC
strengthening
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• Principles &
Values
• Problem
• Pragmatise &
Prioritise
• Participation
People
Policy
Position
Participation
• Power
relations
&dynamics
• Pressure
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
• Plan for
action
• Partner
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Paradigm shift
Take responsibility for their future
Raw data collection
Representation and documentation of cases
Information
Fear factor
Information &
Capacity to
communicate
Visible and accessible
security
Justice without power is useless, Power without justice is tyrannical, Failure to empower what is just is to make what
is strong legitmate
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ZCTU has 6
Regional offices
has 34 districts
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
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ZCTU
CHURCHES
& NGOs
• Computers
• Internet connection
• Legal assistants
• Information on policy decisions from SADC,
Parliament, Political parties
• Training of action researchers , documenting
evidence
• Monitoring and observers
• Protection against fraud
• Strategic Partnership
• Lawyers
• Medical
• Counseling
• Food aid
• Monitoring and observers
• Combined local , regional and international
advocacy
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General Council
Secretary General
Parliament & Advocacy
Districts
Legal
Department
Regional
Legal
Assistants
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
Action
Researchers
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ACCESS RIGHTS
USER RIGHTS
DECENT
WORK &
DECENT
LIFE
TRANSFER
RIGHTS
ENFORCEMENT
RIGHTS
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
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International
fundamentals ,
Documentation
of cases
HR Awareness
Democracy &
Gvernance
Capacity
Building IT &
Internet
Security ,
Development of
Leaders
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
Institutional
Frame Work
Human
Development,
Tools & issue
tracking
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ENVIROMENT
• Organising
• Education
• Advocacy
• Governance
EMPOWERMENT
ENDOGENOUS
Solidarity Center Conference on Informal Economy Workers
• Research
• Visibility
• Reduce
vulnerability
• Policy
• Legislation
• Practices
• Standards
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People driven constitution
Country Decent Work Plan –Beyond the Enclave
Public sector reform & labour law reform
Transformative transitional justice
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Creation of a social protection floor
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Discrimination
Unjustified violence ,killings and destruction of property
Arbitrary arrest
Forced evictions
Redistributive, Productive,
Dealing with country risk factors
Institutional Capacity building of Actors
Truly independent Human Rights, Media, Anti
Corruption , Zimbabwe Electoral Commission & TR
commissions
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